- Pochettino cautious about fitness concerns
- Nine players out of action at the moment
- Won once in five Premier League matches
WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues currently have nine players who are either out injured or are recovering from their knocks. Among the new arrivals at Stamford Bridge this season, Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are yet to take the field in competitive games for the club.
Pochettino claimed that while he has complete faith in the abilities of the club's medical staff he raised concern regarding the team's fitness woes and maintained that they need to be cautious in their approach.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to reporters, Pochettino said, "Of course. Before we arrived here we did everything to try to have a clear idea of why there were too many injuries last season – analyse the risk map and then it is the profile of the player. It is not the methodology, it is not the people working in the medical staff or the coaching staff or the performance area. I think we need to respect these areas. They are very good professionals, qualified people, and that is why they are working in football. But sometimes it happens. The individual players, sometimes there is some risk you assess.
"Then of course there is bad luck. We have injuries that maybe happen in one season. Or maybe in two. But it happened because of different situations you cannot control. When you see the type of injuries, you say 'Oof'. With some players you say 'We need to take more attention in one thing or another'. But it is bad luck."
He added, "Christopher against Dortmund, it was a penalty, it was a tackle and he twists his knee. He’s out for nearly three or four months. That was at the beginning of the game. He wasn’t tired. He was fresh, he was strong and that happened. So that is why we need to do this or that? Come on. The organisation in football, not only in football, is super professional. We need to respect that and to show more respect to everyone in the club. Sometimes it happens like this. It is like in normal life. Some people suffer some things. We have to be careful how we assess this situation."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: After a forgettable outing in the 2022/23 season, their miseries seem to continue in the ongoing campaign as well. The Blues have won just once in their first five games and are currently 14th in the Premier League.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty
Getty
GettyWHAT NEXT? Pochettino's side will aim to get back to winning ways on Sunday when they face Unai Emery's Aston Villa in a league clash.